Another Empire

At this conjuncture, despite ali lip-service to Turkey being the leaderofa 'Single economic region from Albania to Kuwait and from Bahrain to Morocco', and despite the country's relative economic success vis-a-vis the European crisis, it seems that Turkey's foreign policy actors will have to settle for a pivotal state position rather than achieving the much more desired role of a strategic medium povver.Baskın Oran, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Ankara University's Faculty of Political ScienceToday, Turkey is struggling to be many things at önce, from regional hegemon, ordersetter and middle povver to trading state and model democracy, in the Middle East and North Af rica, in Southeast Europe, in the Caucasus, in Central Asia and beyond. İt does so with varying success, as its ties with the European Union are becoming increasingly tenuous and Turkey's international role is reshaped by creeping re-Atlanticisation as vvell as grovving unilateralism. The policies ofempire, the debate on Turkey's orientation, as vvell as its convincingness as a model of democracy - vvhile it experiences a rather familiarauthoritarian relapse domestically - remain at the heart of the paradox of Turkey's foreign policy and its role in the vvorld. From novv on, Bearded Celal's ship vvill enter uncharted vvaters, which might or might not carry Turkey further avvay from its knovvn partners and allies, and bring her to new shores.Ayşe Kadıoğlu, Professor of Political Science at Sabancı University and Kerem Öktem, Fellovv at the European Studies Centre, University of OxfordSo have you decided on your destination, great captain?South! She frowns. Thegale that svvept the southern shores has torn other vessels apart... East! She laughs. You say east to make me believe vvest vvhen I know perfectly vvell that you are going east. Do I dare say, great captain, your compass has many needles!Kalypso Nicolaîdis, Professor of International Relations and director of the Center for International Studies at the University of OxfordBASKIN ORAN KEREM ÖKTEM AYŞE KADIOĞLU E. FUAT KEYMAN NORA FISHER ONAR MEHMET KARLI JOSHUA W. WALKER NİLGÜN ARISAN ERALP ATİLA ERALP OTHON ANASTASAKİS DIMITAR BECHEV REEM ABOU-EL-FADL KARABEKİR AKKOYUNLU AYBARS GÖRGÜLÜ KALYPSO A. NİCOLAÎDİS